Thursday, January 24, 2019

5A- Identifying Local Opportunities


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Thursday, January 17, 2019

4A- Forming an Opportunity Belief

It is my belief that there is a need that has been unmet concern on the homelessness. It seems as if homeless people are everywhere, like when I go to the Publix or Target that is near campus I seem to always see someone with a cardboard sign asking for help. Now I am not sure whether or not if those people are actually homeless or could be scamming people, but if they are homeless or on the verge of entering that path, meaning that they need money for food and sooner or later the money the do have will run out and they won't be able to pay their bills and eventually be force to live out in the streets. Now while there do exist homeless shelters to help these individuals sooner or later those places could end up filling up beyond capacity. While people being homeless is not something that just appeared recently it is something that I have seen increasing the US. Now I don't know of one currently but I am certain buried within someones mind is a solution to this need that may be more permanent than others. To see what people think of this need I asked different people who I won't address by name to protect their identities.

#1 Second year male UF student:

  • What do you think about people being homeless?
    • "Must be tough for them, begging people for money and not having much luck." 
  • Who do you think could end up being homeless?
    • "Maybe people who were laid from work or are having troubles paying their bills."
  • How do you think the problem of being homeless first started?
    • "Like I said before people get fired or then again some jobs go out of business."
  • What do you think is being done about homeless people?
    • "There are homeless shelters out there and maybe they stay with a relative or something."
  • And in your own opinion are satisfied with the solutions that are being implemented to try solve this problem?
    • "I don't know maybe more could be done and people should try harder to do their share to help those in need."
Reflection: This prototypical customer being a college student wouldn't know the harsh realities of the world and the chance they would lose their job if they have one that is.

#2 Adult female in their early thirties or late twenties:

  • What do you think about people being homeless?
    • "I don't know sounds tough when I go to the Publix near hear I sometimes see some random guy with a sign that says a praying for help message on it." 
  • Who do you think could end up being homeless?
    • "I don't know, maybe just about anyone if their luck or life leads them to that difficult situation."
  • How do you think the problem of being homeless first started?
    • "People getting laid off from work, maybe dropping out of school and not being able to get a job or at the very least a job that pays well or decent enough to live off of."
  • What do you think is being done about homeless people?
    • "Shelters, people who bother to donate any spare change they might have, or maybe new jobs getting made available."
  • And in your own opinion are satisfied with the solutions that are being implemented to try solve this problem?
    • "More definitely can be done because who knows in the future I or you could be homeless and where was our help."
Reflection: This prototypical person had a lot more to say on the matter and possibly being more experienced in the way of the world has a better understanding of it than a college student.

#3 Adult male maybe in their thirties or forties:
  • What do you think about people being homeless?
    • "Must be hard having to beg people for change just so they could not end up losing their house or just to eat something." 
  • Who do you think could end up being homeless?
    • "Maybe people who were laid from work, couldn't find any work to pay bills or buy groceries."
  • How do you think the problem of being homeless first started?
    • "People losing their jobs or never having one to begin with and got kicked out of whomever's house or apartment they were crashing at or couldn't afford."
  • What do you think is being done about homeless people?
    • "Places that house people that can't afford their own, shelters is what I think they are called or maybe charity work."
  • And in your own opinion are satisfied with the solutions that are being implemented to try solve this problem?
    • "Maybe more would help because it definitely doesn't seem all easy for those people, I sure wouldn't want to be them."
Reflection: This prototypical customer probably doesn't think to much on the subject but none the less has some understanding on how serious this need can be.

Summary: I believe I got a better idea on the thoughts of this topic after interviewing different people with their own views on the matter. I still think that there still is an opportunity to come up with something to meet with this need. Talking do these different people showed me that they too noticed this situation I also saw that some of them gave similar answers to the other. While I still am not sure how to approach this problem I do know that I might come up with one in the future, with some of the feedback I obtained through the interviews and with some guidance from the original opportunity I came up with which by the way there is still much since I didn't get varying answers from the people I interviewed. What could be done for now is to build more homeless shelters and there be some sort of charity for those people. With the feedback I've obtained from interviewing those people it made my opportunity more accurate so that can see what is already be done and I don't put too much effort into doing what is already being done. I think entrepreneurs should adapt their opportunities based on customer feedback by doing what makes the most sense to them and that wouldn't affect their ideas too much that they would have to think it over again. Their opportunities should have something that was obtained from customer feedback but at the same time still feel like their own opportunity they came up with.
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Wednesday, January 16, 2019

3A- My Entrepreneurship Story

My story begins with a class that I took last year known as IDS 1359 or Creativity into Action as the class was called. It was in this class that I was put into groups and the instructor told us that each group in class would have to come up with a product or service that will be presented into something called "Catalyst". During the weeks that would lead up to Catalyst my group and I decided to come up with a service that supposedly would replace or add to the University of Florida's reusable bottle program only this one would be a reusable silicon portable cup. We named it the CHOMP cup seeing as it would only be used at UF and what it would do is reduce waste caused by plastic cups and straws used at the restaurants here at UF, instead students have the option to purchase this cup which is a small collapsible cup that can be used instead of the standard or larger cup that is used for a fountain drink. Seeing how a collapsible cup already exists my group decided to make a service out of it, each of also sketched what the cup would look like and it sizes as well. Weeks went by, one of the group members brought a "prototype" cup of sorts to Catalyst along with our presentation board. And throughout the entire event my group and I talked to different people about the benefits of our service and how it could benefit the environment. Although our group didn't win anything when Catalyst ended, this was a good learning experience for us in case in the future any of us wanted to start our own business in the future.

Now on the topic on why I enrolled into ENT3003 that reason being that I am an Innovation Academy student and this was a class needed for my innovation minor. What I hope to get out of this class is the knowledge on what it means to be an entrepreneur and how that can help me in the future. Even though I don't know much about this class I will just have to see how goes this semester.


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2A- Bug List


  1. Very hot showers
    • Ever since coming to Beaty Towers on the fifth of January every time I have to take a shower the water starts for a brief couple of seconds its cold but then it turns scalding hot and the temperature only gets hotter with each passing moment.
    • Why does it EXIST: Perhaps there is a problem with the plumbing that is causing this problem. Wonder if anyone on the floor has the same problem?
  2. Walking across the street the same time a scooter is passing
    • It really irritates me having to cross the street the same time someone on a scooter is passing through because of fear I might get hit with one.
    • Why does it EXIST: Many college students could be using scooters as a mode of transportation to get to classes seeing as they would be able to get there faster then by car.
  3. Huge amounts of reading for different classes
    • For some of my classes there is a lot of reading that it takes three or four hours for just one chapter which also bores me to tears.
    • Why does it EXIST: It is just the requirement for the class and nothing can be done about it.
  4. No lock on the bathroom door of my dorm room
    • Now this problem has been discussed between my roommates that if the bathroom door is closed then someone is in there, but that's knowledge for the people who live here my concern for that is the people who might come visiting the room and don't know about that problem. This irritates me because how is it that in a bathroom in any of the campus buildings for the stalls there at the very least a push lock that prevents the door from opening but there isn't a lock on bathroom at a place we are suppose to live at for two semesters.
    • Why does it EXIST: Maybe the doors that were put into the bathrooms are just like that but its weird since I lived in Beaty last year as well and the bathroom had a lock for that door, so just WHY?
  5. The cold weather
    • I don't usually stay outside for very long but when I do sometimes the cold starts getting me that not even wearing a hood or hat helps.
    • Why does it EXIST: It's just that time of year again where the weather is cold and nothing can be done about it.
  6. People smoking
    • If there is one thing I can't stand is people who smoke or in general the smell of the smoke that comes from cigarettes or any kind of smoke. It makes it hard to breath and when I breath through my nose the smell of of smoke gets in my mouth and I to spit it out really quick.
    • Why does it EXIST: There are some people in the world that pick up bad habits despite all the anti-smoking talks they must have heard when there were at elementary, middle, and high school.
  7. No place to sit when I go out to eat
    • When I go out to eat breakfast, lunch, or dinner one problem I usually have to look out for is that there is a table that isn't occupied by people. If the place is packed I have to constantly search for an unoccupied seat or wait for someone to leave if its really packed.
    • Why does it EXIST: The areas that I go to are probably popular lots of people enjoy going there.
  8. Bugs that get in your face
    • Sometimes after it rains when I am walking or bicycling small bugs always hit my face and some times get in my eyelids.
    • Why does it EXIST: Perhaps the insect just enjoy the moisture after it rains or the just show up randomly.
  9. Weak charging phone
    • Sometimes my phone has a problem charging, like for instance sometime the powers goes down even if it is connected to the charger and I always end up having to restart my phone to fix this problem.
    • Why does it EXIST: Perhaps it has something to do with the phone charger or the apps that I use that are draining it battery too fast.
  10. Heavy walking traffic
    • When I go to class I usually take my bike to get there faster but lately there have been a amount of students blocking the path I need to go through to get to class and I just end up walking my bike.
    • Why does it EXIST: Maybe lots of students have classes around this time which would explain why there is so many of them going in either the same or opposite direction. Or it could be that classes end for these students and they are trying to get somewhere else.
  11. No parking space on move in days
    • When I moved into Beaty Towers this semester there was hardly any place to park since the parking lot was packed full of cars.
    • Why does it EXIST: Move in day usually means that there is a lot of people coming in early to get settled into their dorm rooms so that they can be ready for the first days of classes 
  12. Tripping on an uneven sidewalk
    • When walking I don't always look down where I am stepping and sometimes I end up almost tripping.
    • Why does it EXIST: Perhaps when they were being made, the sidewalks just became uneven. Or perhaps as the years that went by the sidewalks just became uneven.
  13. Getting leg stuck in small hole in the ground
    • Sometimes when I am walking on the grass there can sometimes be a hole the ground that I didn't notice and my foot would get stuck in it. And if I were running when this were to happen I could end up twisting my foot and that would hurt a lot.
    • Why does it EXIST: Maybe those holes in the ground were made by an animal or was made by a worker working on the plumbing.
  14. The washing machines and the dryers at Beaty having problems.
    • When I need to use one the machines to either wash or dry sometimes the machines have problems where they don't work or accept the debit card or coins I put in.
    • Why does it EXIST: The machines are probably old and haven't been checked on in years.
  15. The locks of my dorm rooms sometimes get stuck.
    • When I need to unlock of lock my dorm room door turning the key can be a hassle that I have to constantly turn it in both directions to make sure it is going in the right direction.
    • Why does it EXIST: Maybe the inside of the lock is rusty or I don't close the door right.
  16. Fire alarms in the middle of the night 
    • This happened last year as well where a fire alarm sounded on the first week of the spring semester. It can be so annoying when they just sound out of the blue because last year I was sleeping and this year I was in the middle of doing homework. And it went the same as last year meaning waiting outside in the freezing cold.
    • Why does it EXIST: Maybe it was a routinely check or something could have set it off.
  17. Nobody flushing in public bathrooms
    • Sometimes when I go to a public restroom there seems to be that one person who can't be bothered to flush. I always end up using my foot to push down the flush handle.
    • Why does it EXIST: Perhaps there are just some people in the world who weren't brought to flush the toilet after each use or they feel that since they don't live there its not their job to flush after they use it.
  18. Stepping on gum
    • There are very few times where I not noticing where I am walking sometimes step on pre-chewed gum.
    • Why does it EXIST: Perhaps don't look where they spit their gum or they just don't care.
  19. Foggy mirror
    • After using the bathroom after someone else who took a shower the mirrors are all foggy.
    • Why does it EXIST: Some people take really long showers in hot or warm water which could be the cause.
  20. Long lines at the DMV
    • When I went to the DMV to take the written exam I had to wait nearly two hours to take a sixty minute test.
    • Why does it EXIST: Perhaps there are many people who don't set up appointments to finish their business or that they have different needs and the DMV is too small with only a few workers.
Reflection:
This assignment was moderately difficult because coming up with 20 different bugs along with their explanation and the why it exists. It took a lot of time and effort to think of 20 different things that bug me. It took a lot of deep thought to come up with these bugs and to think if any of the bugs I thought of whether or not it is an issue to me. I had some difficulty coming up with these bugs because there were not that many things I could think of. I had many periods where I drew blanks and couldn't think of anything because I wasn't used to thinking of this kind of thing. But in the end it was a rather interesting assignment and hopefully not as difficult as some of the other future assignments.  
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Friday, January 11, 2019

First Post

This is my first blog post for my class.
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